


The Gaps Between the Waves

by EMMegs



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Keith cares SO MUCH, Lance self-deprecates :(, M/M, Rebel!Matt, also langst??, but lowkey langst, canonverse, clone theory plays heavy hand in this, post s3 hell, the klance we deserve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 13:50:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12037215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EMMegs/pseuds/EMMegs
Summary: The team searches for Matt when they're not going after Lotor.Spoiler: They find more than just Matt. And maybe there's a place they all belong after all.





	The Gaps Between the Waves

**Author's Note:**

> Look at me. Writing fanfiction about the boys because I am absolute 10000% Klance trash. This started out as something that was much slower paced and much more thought out plot-wise (like I had a plan for Lotor and the Shiros and everything) and then it just devolved into Klance town and I got tired so here. My meager offering to the Klance gods. I may continue to add the rest in a separate story but who knows?? (Aka when am I ever not tired??) 
> 
> Edited to the best of my abilities at the moment but shit I am tired of looking at this and trying to fix the things I don't like. Just take it from me.
> 
> Fic title from Grammatology by Adjy. 
> 
> Taking this from the perspective that maybe Keith grows more into being the leader before Shiro gets there and is maybe a little annoyed at the intrusion into the space he was JUST getting used to. Maybe I'm projecting because I'd definitely be annoyed if I were Keith. Especially after the entire teledav/asteroid choice snafu thing in s3.

Shiro wakes up on a hospital bed, unrestrained but more than a little disoriented. His heart races at the realization that he doesn’t know where he is or how he got here. His surroundings don’t feel like they’re Galran.

“What do you mean he just _appeared_?” someone demands distantly, their voice garbled like they’re underwater. “People don’t just _appear_.”

“We found him floating in just that suit in the Garpon system on a routine sweep. No ship in sight, no other indicators of how he got there. He was just _there_. The funny thing is that our sensors didn’t pick him up until we were nearly on top of him, like he _did_ just appear out of nowhere.”

“Well do we know who he is? Where he came from? His arm is obviously the Witch’s doing and we all know Kyryx doesn’t trust anything she or her druids have touched.”

 _Haggar_.

“Well his main ID is that he appears to be a part of team Voltron. That’s the symbol on the suit anyway.”

Shiro feels a jolt – the battle, his team, and a sucking, draining feeling in his gut – and his eyes shoot open. “Voltron,” he says, voice rasping. The two aliens who’d been talking near the door to his apparent room both jump back, one holding something that vaguely resembles a radio. “I have to get back.”

The alien with the radio starts talking rapid fire into it while the other holds up four three-fingered hands in a placating gesture, like Shiro’s a spooked animal. “Okay. Okay, uh… So you _are_ part of team Voltron then?”

“Yes. Black paladin. Where am I?”

“That’s… not something we can discuss at the current moment.”

Radio alien groans, “They’re sending that nerdy tech guy and his team in to transfer him. Apparently they’re the same species and Kyryx is too spooked by his arm to send her own team.”

“How long until they arrive?”

“A couple vargas? Maybe a day at most.” They start to turn away from him and Shiro gets the feeling that he’s being shut out.

“Wait! Please, I need to get back to my team.”

“Yeah, yeah. Give it a couple days. Chet will know what to do with you.”

They shut the door and Shiro hears the distinct click of a locking mechanism and groans.

 

Shiro dreams sometimes of being somewhere other than the castle, but it isn’t a Galra ship or Earth either. It’s a plain old room with aliens talking around him – over him – but he can’t hear what they’re saying, just that he feels trapped and that his heart is trying to skip out of his chest and these aliens don’t appear to be Galra but why are they keeping him prisoner like this and he needs to get _out_ he needs to get _back_ —

And then he wakes up in his room at the castle and it all fades into the background of his mindscape as he gets up and gets ready for the day. He works out for half an hour, greets Allura and Coran at breakfast, eats as the others come in varying states of alertness and it’s normal. It’s like he never left, like he was never missing.

Except he’s not the Black paladin anymore. Black doesn’t even acknowledge him. And it’s fine. He doesn’t mind, really. He _wanted_ Keith to lead eventually anyway and they’re growing strongly as a team behind him but…

Shiro can’t help wanting to guide them.

Keith files into the dining room, plate in hand and doesn’t even look at him. He takes a seat next to Lance without a word and starts eating. Lance offers him a smile that Keith returns, though it’s a little forced, a little bitter.

Shiro has practically watched Keith grow up. He knows when something is bothering him. And he knows exactly what is bothering Keith this time.

He just hates that _he_ is the cause.

 

Keith is still mad at Shiro and it’s a foreign enough feeling without knowing that he’s _watching_ him all through breakfast. He refuses to look at him, refuses to acknowledge that he’s there because if he does he knows he’s just going to tear a deeper rift in their already tenuous relationship. He cares about Shiro, the man is like a brother to him, but he keeps overstepping into territory that isn’t his anymore and it doesn’t matter how much they try to straighten it out, it just keeps getting worse.

“Keith?”

He looks up at Lance, who’s been chattering at something that he hasn’t been following. There’s a spark of sadness in his eyes that’s wiped out a split second after it appears. “You okay? You’re kind of white knuckling your fork.”

Keith loosens his grip immediately and mutters, “Fine.”

Lance eyes him a bit skeptically but lets it go, to Keith’s relief. Pidge plops down across from them with the space equivalent of a steaming cup of coffee and groans.

“Did you stay up all night again?” Lance asks, eyebrow raised. Pidge glowers at him and Keith snorts.

“When doesn’t she?” Keith says, deadpan. Pidge turns her glower to him, still absolutely silent.

“You know your body would probably thank you if you, um, I dunno, _gave it regular consistent sleep_.”

Pidge scoffs at that and takes a giant gulp of coffee. Keith is honestly still impressed that she drinks the stuff when it’s piping hot and doesn’t flinch with a burned tongue. Then again she is _Pidge_ , who practically fistfights the laws of nature on a daily basis. Maybe she’s become immune to anything that could harm her by now.

“Okay mom,” Pidge says, nonchalant and unimpressed by Lance’s nagging.

“Keith, you’re the leader, tell her she should sleep more.”

Keith’s eyebrows furrow. That’s more Shiro’s department than his and he really doesn’t want to become Space Dad to people his own age. Thankfully Pidge saves him by looking offended and snarking back, “Oh like Keith gets _so much_ more sleep than me! Mr. Keith ‘Slept-in-his-Lion-just-in-case-until-we-found-Shiro’ Kogane.”

Keith flinches and feels Shiro’s eyes on his head again. He pushes his food around his plate some more just to make it look like he’s eaten but he’s suddenly lost his appetite. He stands abruptly as Hunk enters and opens his mouth to greet everyone.

“I’m gonna go check the scanners for any other info on Lotor,” he says and brushes past Hunk.

Hunk stands there for a moment with his mouth still open then asks the room, “Was it something I said?”

 

Lance finds Keith in the control room, scowling over the same information they’ve had since their last battle with Lotor. They still don’t know what exactly he’s after with the teledav and the asteroid ship. They don’t know where his base of operations is. They don’t know how to stop whatever he’s planning. Lance watches Keith’s hand curl into a tight fist.

“Hey man,” he greets, voice so gentle.

Keith glances up at him, his harsh gaze softening at the sight of his right hand man. “Hey,” he returns.

Lance takes it as an invitation to step closer, right up next to where Keith sits in the Black Paladin’s chair. “I… I don’t know what exactly is going through your head right now, but I know that you’re still angry about the entire Shiro thing yesterday.”

Keith sighs and sags a little in his seat. “I’m not angry,” he mumbles, “just…. Frustrated. What he says and what he does keep contradicting each other.”

“He’s still adjusting too, Keith.”

“I _know_ that!”

“I’m not saying you don’t,” Lance says quickly, well aware that saying things clearly and immediately is the best way to communicate with Keith. “Keith, he’s basically our dad. And having to sit back and watch his kids, the team that he helped build, go out on their own—without him… I’m just saying that even trusting you to lead us does not change the fact that he _worries_ for us because he’s not there to protect us.”

Keith draws in a breath, digesting Lance’s words. The hand curled into a fist, releases slowly.

“And this doesn’t mean I’m trying to invalidate your feelings by prioritizing his, but I hate that his worries are projecting themselves in a way that encroaches on your space. Sometimes Shiro gives good tactical advice but sometimes it just makes you feel like…”

“Like I’m a little kid being pushed aside so my big brother can fight my battles?”

Lance lets out a breath. “Yeah. But you aren’t a kid. _You_ are our leader now. The Black Lion chose you and we’re behind you. Even Shiro.” Lance puts a hand on Keith’s shoulder and squeezes gently. “We just need to figure out a balance between Shiro’s want to protect and your need for leadership space.”

Keith nods to show he’s following then mutters, “This would be so much easier if we’d _waited_. We would have found Shiro and then none of this would be a problem.”

“Maybe, but the universe couldn’t keep waiting.”

Keith’s silent in thought for a stretch then he looks up at Lance and murmurs, “I… don’t know why Black chose me. You’re like… most of my impulse control. It should have been you. You actually wanted this, you’d… you’d be better at it, Lance.”

Lance feels his heart skip a beat and he smiles faintly, even as he shakes his head. “Nah. I’m more of a support person anyway. I think Black knew what she was doing when she chose you.”

Keith looks at him, skeptical, but concedes. “Thanks Lance. Red knew what she was doing when she chose you to be my right hand. I… I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else.”

Heat climbs up Lance’s neck toward his ears and the corners of his lips twitch upwards. He’s not used to the sincerity and earnestness in Keith’s words and expression. He opens his mouth to say—what? He doesn’t know exactly but he’s cut off before he begins by Green’s monitors lighting up and an alert sounding from it. Keith and Lance turn simultaneously to look at it then back at each other.

“I guess we should get Pidge,” Lance mutters, though his eyebrows furrow a little. Keith nods in agreement.

 

Pidge’s computer starts shrieking close to the end of her second cup of space coffee. Hunk and Allura both start in surprise while Coran lets out a particularly loud shriek of his own and falls out of his chair. Pidge snaps open her computer and sweeps her eyes over the alert message. Her eyes widen in shock and she jumps up and sprints toward the control room.

Hunk stares after her for only a second before his eyes stray to her laptop screen. “Oh… OH!” he exclaims and then he’s out the door after Pidge. Coran and Allura glance at each other, Coran shrugs, and then they’re following after their two friends.

Pidge nearly rams into Lance and Keith on her way through the door to the control room.

“Pidge your—“

“I KNOW!” she yells, vaulting over the side of her paladin station and landing in the seat neatly. Her fingers start flying over her keyboard.

Keith gets up from his station and strides over to where Lance is now peering over Pidge’s shoulder. “What is it?”

“DID IT REALLY FIND IT?” Hunk shouts as he slides to a stop at Pidge’s shoulder.

“Find what?” Lance questions.

“Ah yes! I’d forgotten you were running that scan!” Coran twirls his mustache with two fingers as he looks directly over Pidge’s head.

“What the hell is going on?” Keith mutters.

“I analyzed the sound of the explosion in the clip of Matt made and discovered it’s made with a certain elemental explosive. Then I programmed my computer to search through the universe for high naturally occurring concentrations of it.”

“Okay? So what does the alert mean?” Keith says.

Hunk takes the liberty of popping the star map up on the big screen and scrutinizes it. A large portion of the map is dark but there’s an entire sector along the edge that’s bright blue. Coran uses hand signals to zoom in on that section of the map.

“Ah! The Quarstrom sector!” Coran says as he recognizes exactly what he’s looking at. Keith scowls and looks to Lance.

“Are… Are you saying you found Matt?” Lance asks for both their benefit, his eyes also darting toward Keith.

“Maybe?” Hunk says, watching Pidge’s fingers on her keyboard.

“I’ll begin navigating a course toward that quadrant,” Allura says quickly and Coran nods sharply, following her.

“Even if it isn’t Matt himself, hopefully someone will be able to lead us to him,” Pidge speaks finally, her hands coming to a stop. “The statistical probably of actually finding him there is only 19.3 percent but the chances of finding nothing leading to him are 10.4 percent so—“

“So our chances are pretty good?” Lance interjects.

“I’m not going to get my hopes up because I don’t want to be disappointed but… yes.” The tiny smile on Pidge’s face grows into a very happy grin very slowly. “I might have actually found my brother.”

Lance turns his gaze to Keith and Keith can’t help the smile that comes over his face as he presses a hand down on Pidge’s shoulder, shaking her a little. “That’s awesome! It’ll be nice to have him on board.”

Pidge beams at him. “Yeah. It will.”

“I’m gonna hug you guys now,” a teary-eyed Hunk says and leans down abruptly to wrap an arm around Pidge. She pats his arm and then Keith is next.

“Why are we wormholing?” Shiro’s voice sounds behind him. Pidge jumps up and runs to hug him.

“We may have found Matt!” Lance explains because Pidge is too overwhelmed at the idea of finally _finally_ having her big brother back to explain everything all over again.

“M-Matt?” Shiro looks like he’s about to fall over and Hunk takes pity on him by standing nearby to give him someone to lean on.

Keith, with a small smile, begins directing his team, “Pidge and Hunk will search in their lions on the local planets for any leads. Allura with Pidge, Shiro with Hunk. Lance and I will remain here for backup in case we have any run-ins with the Galra.”

Hunk, Shiro, and Pidge all nod to accept this assignment. Lance raises an eyebrow at him that pulls a slightly larger smile from him, as if to say, _See you got this._

“Pidge, can you run any scans for Galra outposts or other potential threats?” Lance asks and Keith nods at him in thanks. He always forgets the check before running in aspect. Pidge returns to her seat after nodding her head in confirmation.

From the front, Coran calls back to them, “We’ll be at the nearest system of the Quarstrom sector, Garpon, within a varga.”

“Thanks Coran!” Keith says back.

“Commencing scan,” Pidge murmurs. Keith waits for threat symbols to pop up onto the star map still projected above them. “Looks like there’s one Galra outpost nearby, but it’s three systems over. Other than that not many of the planets in these systems are on the castle’s database.”

“Start with the ones we know are safe,” Keith instructs. “Mounting a rescue mission when we don’t even know where we’re rescuing is going to be tricky enough.”

Pidge nods once and Keith can feel Shiro’s eyes on him again. He glances at Lance then subtly in Shiro’s direction. Lance seems communicate everything he wants to tell Keith then in a single look and Keith hates him for it, rolling his eyes at him.

“Flirt later,” Pidge snorts from her seat, “Like when I’m not around to watch it.” Keith’s eyes snap to her but she just grins cheekily at him.

“We—We’re not—“ Lance splutters, his face slowly getting redder the longer his tongue is tied.

Pidge rolls her eyes and turns back to her screens, though she doesn’t miss the half-smile that Keith and Lance try to hide from each other.

 

Matt Holt is almost finished with upgrades to a fighter when Chet walks in, high ego and burly attitude and all. “What do you want, Chet?” Matt growls. The only thing the alien ever does really is get on his nerves and give him more work. His patience levels automatically plummet any time he walks into the same room, really. So honestly, the fact that he’s allowing him into his workspace is a miracle in and of itself.

“Transfer mission for you,” Chet says.

Matt groans in frustration. “Send someone else. I’m swamped.”

“You’re gonna want this one, Matty.”

Matt lifts himself up onto his elbows to squint at the yellow alien. “One: don’t call me that, and two: there’s two dozen other fighters that need these upgrades by next battle and I’m the only engineer in this base. I doubt that I’m ‘gonna want’ to abandon the weeks’ worth of work ahead of me to go on a single lousy transfer mission.” He turns back to the space wrench in his hand and goes back to tightening a bolt in place.

“Alright. We’ll just let Ripley deal with the human then,” Chet mutters as he turns toward the door.

Matt’s breath catches as he hears the word. _Human._ He’s craved to have another human around for he doesn’t even know how long. Months? Years? Ever since he was separated from Shiro for sure. “Wait!” Matt calls and Chet turns with the shit-eating grin on his face, the one where he knows he’s won. “Did you say human? It’s a human transfer?”

“Yup,” Chet says, popping the ‘p’. “Human with Galra tech on one arm. Your species _and_ with all the cyborg-y junk you’re interested in.”

Matt glances at the fighter he’s working on then around the hanger at the others. _Another human. Maybe even Dad… Or… Shiro._ The thought of Shiro is painful, mainly because Matt has long given up the idea that even Shiro could have survived the Arena. Not for this long anyway. He bites his lip.

“Fine,” he finally mutters with a sigh. “Give me an hour to finish up this fighter and then I’ll be ready to go.”

 

Keith leaves the strategic direction of Pidge and Hunk to Lance in favor of talking to Shiro. Lance sees him leaving with Shiro and pauses in his strategizing to offer him a smile of encouragement. Then he turns back to his two friends with that serious second-in-command look on his face.

“I know you’re still upset,” Shiro starts as soon as they’re out of hearing range. “But—“

“I’m not upset Shiro. I’m just… frustrated.”

“Because of me.”

“No… Just… In general.” Shiro looks at him in puzzlement and Keith caves. “Alright. A little bit because of you.” He swallows and remembers Lance’s words. _We’re behind you, even Shiro._ “I put off finding a new Paladin for Black because I didn’t want to replace you. I still don’t want to lead, not really. But…” He takes a deep breath. “But this is _my_ team now, Shiro. And I know you’re worried about us and about me being out there without you. But it’s _mine_. And I’m not a kid anymore.”

“I know you aren—“

“Do you?” Keith asks. “Because I feel awkward enough about leading without you trying to fight my battles from the sidelines.”

“That’s not what I was intending… I just—“

“I know. You’re older, you’re more experienced, and I appreciate your help, Shiro. I really do. But I… I need space. Space where I’m not just trying to fill the shoes you left but actually carving out somewhere for _me_ for _myself_ to exist and lead and make mistakes. That’s how you got where you are, isn’t it?”

Shiro doesn’t seem able to say anything but he nods, lips pursed tight. “So…? Where do you want me in this rescue mission?”

Keith breathes out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He’d almost been expecting Shiro to protest. To push him. “I want you with Hunk, running diplomatic conversations for information. You’re better suited to that than Hunk is just like Allura is with Pidge. I’m confident that if there’s any information on Matt that either you or Pidge will be the most motivated to find it.”

“You’re correct there,” Shiro says softly. “And in the future?”

Keith pauses to think before carefully saying, “I need you with Coran helping with the castle defenses and giving Voltron support from there. If I need advice I will ask for it and if there’s some glaring risk that Lance and I aren’t seeing, you can provide another viewpoint.”

Shiro nods slowly. “Alright. Sounds fair.”

“Thank you,” Keith says and he can’t put enough gratitude in his voice that Shiro is being so accepting of this. For being so accepting of _him_ every chance he gets.

 

Shiro doesn’t know how long he’s stuck there before someone comes for _him_ and not just to give him food. Could have been only hours or days. He’s been drifting in and out of consciousness this entire stay so time means absolutely nothing to him. When the yellow alien stumbles into the room, shrugging off the concerns of a four-armed, six eyed purple one, Shiro sits up. This is not an alien he’s been in contact with but he’s wary of being poked or prodded anymore.

The yellow alien squints at him then strides forward and lifts his arm above his head, scrutinizing it. Shiro doesn’t even try to fight him.

“Huh,” he mutters, running fingers along his arm. “This do anything besides be an arm?” He looks directly at Shiro while saying it and Shiro starts, used to people talking _over_ him instead of to him.

“Uhhh…” He pushes the guy back carefully and activates his arm.

“Wicked.” He grins as he steps back in surprise. “Bet that cuts pretty much anything like air.”

Shiro nods, dumbfounded and the purple alien at the door calls, “Careful, Chet! He could be dangerous! It’s obviously Haggar’s doing!”

Shiro glances at them and they jump back and peek around the frame. Chet completely ignores the purple alien and calls out into the hallway, “Hey Tech-head! He’s definitely your species! They weren’t wrong!”

A ratty head of light brown hair pops around the corner, followed by the rest of an armored, sturdy human and Shiro’s breath catches as he recognizes them. “Matt?” he breathes, hardly believing his eyes.

Matt comes to a dead stop in the doorway, blinking incredulously and gaze sweeping over his mechanical arm. Shiro’s pretty sure neither of them are breathing.

Chet looks between both of them, then scowls and says, “Do you two know each other or something?”

Then Matt is rushing forward and Shiro just barely manages to deactivate his arm before he has an armful of Holt, arms around his neck and body fully thrown at him. Matt’s hands fist in the back of his shirt and Shiro slowly brings his arms up around his back.

“Shiro,” Matt mumbles into his shoulder, his already tight holds, squeezing harder.

Chet looks on, dumbfounded, then says, “Well I guess that answers that question.”

 

Keith has to be sure to fully instruct everyone on the team before they arrive at the Garpon system because he’s not sure how long he would be able to keep Pidge in her seat when she could be out searching.

He watches out the castle’s view screen as Yellow and Green take off for various local planets and glances toward where Lance lounges in his paladin armor nearby. “Do you think they’ll find anything?” he asks.

“I think they stand a darn good chance!” Coran answers then turns and realizes that Keith hadn’t directed the question toward him.

Lance smiles and points at Coran. “I’m with him. Besides it seems a little cruel of the universe to lead Pidge out here only to disappoint her again.” Lance turns his eyes back to where the Green Lion is shooting off into the distance. “There better be something here.”

Keith nods, mostly to himself and turns his eyes toward the map of the Lion’s progress. Every ten to twenty minutes or so one of them will come over the comms with a negative on local info on whatever planet they were just on. With each one Keith feels his muscles wind a little tighter.

After about an hour of negatives, they’re nearly done searching the system and as Pidge’s disappointed, “Negative here too,” comes over the comms all the tension leaks out of Keith’s shoulders and he slumps.

“Sorry Pidge,” he says softly. “We’ll check the next system over.”

“We’re not going to give up, kiddo,” Lance confirms from his seat though his eyes are glued to Keith and how _defeated_ he looks.

They watch the castle’s viewscreens as the two Lions come back into view but before they get there an alarm goes off that has Keith whipping his head toward Coran for explanation. Coran frowns at it for a second, eyes scanning, then he says, “Apparently there’s a Galra battlecruiser from the neighboring system heading for one of the planets. It doesn’t seem to have noticed us.”

Keith looks at Lance at the same time Lance looks at him. Lance nods sharply once and runs for his zipline. “Everyone in your lions. We won’t fight if we don’t have to but if they attack that planet, that’s as good as a declaration of war if you ask me,” Keith says as soon as his helmet’s on.

“Roger,” Pidge says, voice tight, “We’re dropping off Allura and Shiro now.”

And then they wait.

 

Someone in the hall is chattering but Shiro isn’t paying attention until he hears ‘Voltron’ fall from their lips. He gently pushes Matt away and strides to the door, startling the same two aliens conversing there. “Did you say Voltron? Here?”

They don’t say anything, staring at him wide-eyed. Chet is the one to confirm it, scrolling through some kind of handheld communicator, “Yeah. Apparently the Castle of Lions landed near the edge of the system not too long ago and two of the lions were spotted.”

Shiro takes a small step back then his eyes go to Matt. “Matt. We have to go to them. We have to get back.”

“ _You_ do,” Matt says softly. “I—“

“Matt, Katie—“

A piercing alarm cuts through Shiro’s sentence before he can tell Matt that _his sister is on that ship._ Matt’s eyes shoot to Chet for confirmation but the alien just shrugs. A voice comes over the intercom, “A Galra battlecruiser is on its way to Balthazar. All personnel ready for battle. Fighters hold and wait for instruction.”

Chet and Matt meet eyes. “Guess that means us, Matty,” Chet says with the same savage kind of grin he gets whenever he’s about to be launched onto the battlefield.

Matt glances at Shiro and says softly, “I’ll be back. Don’t worry.”

Shiro grabs his wrist. “Let me come. I have experience. I’ll be useful. My _team_ is out there Matt.”

Matt looks toward Chet who narrows his eyes at Shiro and gives him a look over. “Your call Tech-head. He’s our responsibility now anyway.”

Shiro looks at Matt and does his best to plead with his eyes but he hardly needs to. Matt has always been a little weak when it came to giving Shiro what he wanted. “Alright. But you’re to follow my orders, okay? Rebel battles are different from Voltron ones. We don’t have a giant robot weapon as backup so what we have is what we get. I’m not going to have you getting killed when I’ve just found you. Clear?”

Shiro nods, a grin hitting his face.

“Good. Umm. Chet I’ll take him to get armor. You head to the ship and prepare for launch?”

“Way ahead of you, Matty,” Chet calls from over his shoulder.

 

Keith holds his breath as he waits for Shiro and Coran to call it. Finally, Shiro says, “They’re firing on the planet’s shields.”

“Alright team, let—“

“Wait! What’s that?” Coran calls, obviously pointing on the viewscreen at something.

“A ship,” Shiro mutters. “It’s not Galra though it’s… it’s something else.”

“Rebel?” Lance suggests. “We were aware of rebel forces and we were kinda searching for them to get Matt.”

“Maybe. I don’t know…”

Keith grinds his teeth a little and says, “It doesn’t matter. If they’re here to help the planet, we’ll support them. We gotta find a way to get on the ship and disable its weapons before it tears those shields apart. Hunk and Allura create an opening for us and keep the fighters as distracted as you can. Lance and Pidge, with me on infiltration. I’ll guard our entry point while you two head in.”

A chorus of ‘Rogers’ sounds through his ears and Keith grips Black’s controls as they’re launched into space.

He can see three non-Galra ships in the distance and more seem to be coming from… somewhere. Hunk and Allura cut a nice hole in the Galra forces for them to dive through. Keith leads them in, taking out a good chunk of fighters along the way with his jaw blade. He lands Black lightly on the side of the cruiser and Red and Green land nearby.

“Uhh, Keith. There’s a _lot_ of fighters out here,” Lance says over a private channel. “Are you sure you want to stay on your own out here?”

“I’ve got Allura and Hunk to help too,” Keith says.

“Yeah but—“

“Lance, do you trust me?”

“Yes, of course I—“

“Then go. Cover Pidge. Get her where she needs to be. If you run into trouble let me know and I’ll head in to help.”

Lance’s face on the comscreen still looks slightly torn but he nods. “Got it. Over and out, team leader.”

Keith stares at the blank space where Lance’s face just disappeared for much longer than he probably should then he takes to the sky again, protecting the stationary Green and Red lions. Lance had seemed… almost nervous about something?

Keith shakes his head and focuses on the battle in front of him. Lance and his weird anxiety can wait.

 

Lance couldn’t tell you exactly what was wrong but he has this sinking feeling in his gut. Something was going to happen. _Soon_. He wasn’t sure what but the anticipation was boiling in his veins, making him feel like he was burning inside out. He curls a hand around his bayard tightly and activates it into its normal rifle mode.

He follows Pidge into the Galra ship, listening closely to the battle outside just in case his anxiety rang true and something happened out there. Keith seemed fine, but he always _seemed_ to be even when there was an angry fire burning just under his skin. Allura and Hunk were doing alright.

So _why_ did he feel like this?

He shot a couple of sentries in the head before they could even raise their weapons and Pidge glanced back at him with a small smirk on her lips.

“There should be a computer here somewhere close by,” she whispers back at him. He nods and motions for her to lead the way.

It’s oddly easy for them to find a control station for Pidge to wreak her havoc on the system. So odd, even, that it ramps up Lance’s anxiety even more. To the point where he turns on team comms and calls, “Everyone doing okay?”

Pidge shoots him an odd look but he ignores her, waiting for everyone to call back with confirmations. He frowns a little but shakes his head at Pidge’s second confused look.

“What about you guys?” Keith says back.

“We’re fine. Found a control station and Pidge is doing her thing. It’s just…”

“What?”

“Doesn’t this feel like it was a little too easy?”

An explosion rocks the cruiser and Lance’s stomach lurches with it, placing a steadying hand on the doorframe. The door slides open barely a second later and Lance jumps back and aims his weapon, shooting at the first sign of anyone. Someone on the other side swears… in English?

Lance lets up in a barrage out of sheer confusion and the people on the other side of the door cautiously round it with guns of their own raised.

The white shock of hair and head of short light brown hair nearly identical to Pidge rock him.

“What the fuck?” Lance whispers just under his breath.

Pidge whips around, sees who can only be her brother and yells, “MATT!” And is running toward them before Lance can caution her otherwise.

The man lets out a confused, “Katie?” right before Pidge’s body barrels into his.

“Shiro?” Lance questions of the man with him, squinting. “I thought you were on the ship?”

“I am?” comes Shiro’s voice on his comms and the feeling in Lance’s gut intensifies. Lance backs up slowly, raising his weapon.

“Who are you?” he demands.

“Lance what’s going on?” That’s Keith’s voice. “Pidge?”

Lance shuts off his comms irritably. He can’t think with so many people in his ears. Something is going on and the sinking feeling in his stomach is telling him that it isn’t good.

“Lance,” ‘Shiro’ says, looking and sounding hurt. “It’s me? I’ve been trying to get back to you guys ever since I was captured.”

Lance stares at him, apprehension and every ounce of him telling him to _flee_. “We _found_ Shiro a month ago. You… You can’t be him.”

Pidge pulls away from her brother and gazes at Shiro. Lance shifts his gaze to Matt but doesn’t lower his weapon. He keeps ‘Shiro’ in his peripherals because he doesn’t know what this is but he doesn’t like it one bit.

“Matt?” Pidge says and her voice is small, but also incredibly wary. “Where did you find him?”

“He… Just appeared in the space near Garpon’s rebel base. I was called out to transfer him.” He frowns and then looks at his sister. “A-Are you telling me that’s not Shiro?”

He too is backing away from him now. Shiro looks like his entire world is falling apart. “W-What? No. I am. I am Takashi Shirogane, Black Paladin. I’m… You can’t…”

Lance swallows and grits his teeth a little and then makes an executive decision. “Something is going on. Until we can figure out what, you’re coming with us. Whether you’re the real Shiro or not, you’re still some version of him. We can figure this out when we’re not in the middle of an enemy ship.”

Lance lowers his rifle but by no means lets go of it and flips his comms back on. “Pidge, you into the weapons system yet?”

“Not quite but I’m close,” she says and trails back to her station, pulling her brother behind her.

“Lance, what the fuck is going on?” Keith’s voice is seething and Lance flinches.

“We found Matt,” he says plainly. “And… A Shiro.”

“What do you mean _A_ Shiro?”

“I mean, there’s another Shiro here.”

There’s a small gasp that sounds like either Hunk or Allura. Shiro himself is silent, brooding probably.

“We’re going to bring them both back with us and then we can hopefully rendezvous with the rebel forces fighting on the other side of this ship and figure out what the fuck is going on.”

“But—“

“I don’t _know,_ Keith,” he snaps quickly. And he’d thought his weird feeling would have gone away by now. This has to have been the thing that was going to happen. So why isn’t the feeling _gone_. “I don’t know,” he says again, calmer, “But we’ll figure it out when we get back okay?”

Keith sighs. “Fine. Everything fine otherwise?”

“Yes,” he lies because it’s better than telling him he’s got a very terrible feeling when nothing might actually come from it. “We’ll check in again when we’re on our way out.”

“Got it!” Pidge calls triumphantly from where she stands at the computer. “Weapons powering down! I’m putting a virus in as well so it’ll take them longer to get them back up again.”

“Way to go Pidge!” Shiro yells through the comms. Lance glances toward the Shiro is front of him, who’s looking a little lost, if he’s honest. More explosions rock the ship.

“Woah guys,” Lance says, mostly to himself, “Don’t be so hasty, we’re still on board.”

Matt looks sheepish. “That may have actually been my team. Sorry?” He presses a hand to his ear and says something into his comms quietly. Then he scowls and says, quite a bit louder, “I’m sorry, Chet. I’ll meet up with you in a varga after the battle.” He drops his hand and says to the rest of them. “We should move. Our team is usually pretty quick about destroying cruisers once they’re disabled and with Voltron also fighting them it’ll probably be twice as fast.”

The floor under them rocks violently and Lance nods. “Yup good plan that,” he mutters and swings around the doorframe to check for soldiers. There’s a single sentry down the hall that he shoots just out of habit so it won’t cause problems later and then they’re all running down toward the cargo area where their lions are parked.

“Keith we’re heading back to our lions,” Lance radios in quickly as they approach the correct area.

They run into problems when they’re nearly there. A large group of soldiers and sentries alike splits them apart, Matt and Pidge on one side and Lance and Shiro on the other. Another group converges from either side and boxes them against the wall.

“Shit,” Lance mutters under his breath as he starts shooting. Shiro’s arm activates and he’s also fighting at Lance’s back. _Well,_ he muses, _at least if he’s not really Shiro he’s not trying to kill me._

Lance turns his comms on with a small thought and says, “We may need a little help down here. Pidge you doing okay over there?”

“Fine!” she grunts and Lance catches a flash of electricity as her bayard lights up whoever is fighting her. “Matt fights with a staff and it’s actually really cool even if it’s kinda nerdy??”

He just barely catches an indignant, “Hey!” in the background and snorts.

Lance fights his way through the middle with Shiro at his back. At least with the four of them together, they don’t have to worry about the hoard overwhelming any one person. Matt swing kicks while using his staff as a central point and hits three different soldiers in the face then turns and knocks two others on their asses and okay. Lance can admit that’s pretty damn cool. Lance swears as one of his shots bounces off a wall and nearly hits Shiro.

“If we can get into the cargo room, we’ll have more space,” he says into his comms, mostly for Pidge’s ears.

“I’m on my way, guys,” Keith says, “There’s just fighters out here. Enough for the others to handle. And there’s a fire on the outer part of the ship near you so careful as you’re coming out.”

“Roger,” Lance answers, “Hopefully we’ll be in the cargo bay by the time you get here. Then we’ll just need help holding off the hoard until we can get to our lions.”

“Kay. Stay safe, you two.”

He goes quiet and Lance focuses on taking out as many soldiers as he can from his very low vantage point, shield up in tandem with Pidge’s to help protect the four of them. Matt starts spinning his staff and shoves Pidge back toward the door’s controls and she huffs at him. He just focuses on deflecting fire with his staff.

“Got it,” Pidge calls to them and Lance backs up toward the door, last to go in. Pidge is the first and she yelps as she raises her shield to deflect even more fire from other soldiers.

“Oh, come on!” Lance shouts in frustration. They spread out a bit to cover more ground and also so Lance can attempt to jet to a higher vantage, shifting easily into sniper mode. The highest he can get that won’t get him swarmed is a ledge about 8 feet off the ground but he’ll take it since there are crates on either side to conveniently block him from fire.

Shiro and Matt are the ones fighting back to back this time and Pidge isn’t far away, roping together three sentries at a time and then frying their circuits with electricity. Lance starts taking potshots at anyone who gets near them, then at the doors when they seem to have it handled.

It isn’t long before a soldier comes roaring at him and forces him off his ledge and back toward his team mates but it doesn’t bother him too much. He just switches back into his rifle and fires at the Galra’s face.

“I’m maybe a minute from entry,” Keith says in his ear and Lance almost sighs in relief.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he sees Shiro get clipped in the shoulder and go down. Matt cries out and meets the soldier who bears down on him with a block from his staff. Lance feels everything slow down a little. Pidge whips around, having taken care of most of the soldiers in her vicinity and starts toward them. Lance sees, too late, someone aiming at the back of Matt’s head and he doesn’t have any time to react, to shoot or do anything really, but jump.

Because Pidge just found her brother. They _just_ found him. And for him to die now when he’s obviously such a good fighter? A good _team mate_?

No. The universe has seen fit for Pidge to finally find her family. And Lance will be damned if it’s going to take him away from her again.

Lance feels the shot hit him in the gut, entirely penetrating his armor and shudders, breath leaving him.

“LANCE!” Pidge screams and Shiro decapitates the sentry that shot him. There’s someone else heading for him but Lance is too slow to react, everyone is really. He tries to raise his rifle but it’s suddenly very heavy and the soldier above him swats it away like a fly. He feels the cold steel of a sword slide into his chest and chokes on the breath in his lungs.

Out of the corner of his darkening vision he catches a glimpse of a black sword and hears Keith screaming his name and then nothing.

 

The first thing Keith sees when he drops into the cargo room is Lance on the ground with a sword in his chest and the sight nearly winds him. Pidge is screaming profanities and it sounds a little like she might be crying. Keith doesn’t even register that he’s screaming too as he lunges for the Galra that’s pulling his sword out of Lance.

He sticks near Lance and fights off every goddamn Galra that tries to get near him and finish him off until there are only a few standing and then he takes only a second to breathe before kneeling down next to his right hand man.

“Lance,” Keith gasps, quickly taking his face in his hands and sliding one hand down his neck under his armor. “Lance, shit.” He presses his fingers into his skin and waits, shutting out everything else around him. “Please,” he breathes, “ _Please_.” Then he feels a very gentle _bmp_ under his fingers and he lets out a breath, leaning down and press his forehead very briefly to his breastplate. The pool of blood forming underneath Lance is disconcerting and his skin is too pale for Keith to be entirely assured but his heart is still beating at least. He’s still breathing, even if it’s faint.

Keith quickly pushes his arms under Lance’s shoulders and knees and pulls him up to his chest, standing. He realizes faintly that he’s trembling slightly but he pushes on as he bites, “Let’s go. Shiro and Matt with Pidge. I’ve got Lance and Red.”

He directs a message to Coran with a single thought. “Shiro, Coran, ready a pod. Lance is gonna need it.”

“Quiznak,” Coran mutters in reply and then he’s gone.

“What happened?” Shiro asks in his ear. Keith glances over at Pidge, Matt, and the other Shiro as they file into the Green Lion and shakes his head, returning his gaze to Lance’s pale gaunt face.

“I don’t know,” his voice breaks and he quickly switches off his comms as he climbs the ramp into Black’s cockpit and sets Lance down gently in a secondary chair, sparing a single second to strap him in just in case. He takes a deep breath as Black comes online, looks back at Lance, swallows back the lump in his throat and takes off. Black picks up Red in her jaws by the scruff and they head back to the castle as fast as they can.

 

Lance wakes from the foggy cold sleep of a cyropod slowly, then quickly as he’s dropped from the pod. Hunk catches him before he hits the ground and he melts into those arms. Hunk sniffs a little and says, “You worried us, bro.”

“Sorry,” he says, raspy and looks around for water. Coran hands him a pouch and he takes a desperate draw from the straw just to have something to wet his mouth.

Pidge bounces in front of him and Lance smiles gently at her. “You saved him. Even though you didn’t have to.” Matt stands slightly behind her and offers his own small smile and a wave of thanks.

“I couldn’t just let the man you’ve been searching the universe for be killed before my eyes, Pidgey,” he croaks, affection bleeding into his voice. Her arms are around his waist and she’s sniffling into his chest before he can finish his sentence.

“You’re an idiot,” she mumbles against his chest. He pats her head and then Allura and both Shiros are gazing at him. Both Shiros seem to have this unsure expression on their faces but then they both glance at the other and look away in a huff. Allura looks… kinda angry.

“I second that,” she says as she strides forward and yanks him into a hug, squishing Pidge between them.

There’s only one person missing.

“Where’s Keith?” he asks and everyone in the room seems to freeze at the same moment.

“He’s uhh… He’s kinda…”

“Don’t tell me he did something rash.”

“No he hasn’t… really… Umm… been in here like… at all?” Hunk says slowly and boy isn’t that a blow to Lance’s ego. He feels all the wind leave him in one big whoosh.

“So I guess that means he wasn’t as worried as everyone else huh?” he says with a small laugh.

Pidge shakes her head. “No. He… He was. More so I think.”

“You were… in really bad shape, Lance,” one of the Shiros speaks up and the other confirms it with a simple nod. “Like practically _dead_ bad.”

“I think Keith just… needed some space from that after bringing you in?” the other says though he also flinches when he catches Lance’s distraught expression.

“He brought me in?”

“Yeah. He wouldn’t let anyone else touch you until we got you in a pod actually,” Hunk mutters.

And that… Lance doesn’t know what he thinks or feels about that. Something in his heart feels warm at the idea that Keith was that fiercely protective of him but some other part of him just feels… sad? Sad in a way that he wishes Keith didn’t have to deal with that on his own. He sucks down another bit of water then says quietly, “I’m gonna go find him.”

 

Keith wants to be there when Lance wakes up but he also… doesn’t want to see the rip in his suit where he was stabbed and then healed. Doesn’t want to see his blood stained bodysuit or the cracks in his armor. He rubs a hand over his face and leans his head back against the window. He’s found a nice window seat niche to just relax but mostly he’s just been feeling guilty about being too squeamish to greet Lance when he wakes up.

 _“No one else is touching him.”_ Keith rolls his forehead against the window and grumbles to himself a little. _“I’m… I’m gonna make sure he’s okay. He has to be okay.”_

He pulls his knees toward him and buries is face in them. God, he’d been so worried that he kept snapping at everyone, even when they were trying to help. He’d snapped at Shiro—he doesn’t remember which one just that they were _in the way_ —as he was carrying Lance into med bay. He’d left as soon as Coran announced Lance stable and hadn’t looked back because he _couldn’t._ And finally, when he was alone, he’d collapsed on his bed and managed to exhaust himself enough with dry sobs to fall asleep.

“Hey man.”

Keith glances up at the familiar voice and scrambles hurriedly to his feet. “Hey,” he says back somewhat lamely then, realizing that it’s Lance and he’s awake—he’s _alive_ , nearly drops to the ground sobbing again. He takes a couple stumbling steps forward then his arms are around his shoulders, his hands sweeping across his back. He buries his face in Lance’s shoulder and breathes in the scent of him. His shoulders shudder without his control and Lance’s hands press against them gently.

“Hey. It’s okay,” Lance murmurs. “It’s okay, Keith. I’m okay. We’re fine.”

Keith rips away from him and growls, “Don’t you _ever_ do that again. You… You _idiot_. I don’t care who it saves. Don’t _ever_ jump in front of a bullet for _anyone_ ever again.”

Lance laughs it off but it seems just slightly strained. His hands cup Keith’s elbows and Keith’s hands grip his upper arms like he’s going to disappear. “I think I figured that I at least had a chance of living? But Matt was going to be hit in the head and there’s not really coming back from that. And we’d just found him and he’s a _really_ great fighter Keith. You should have seen him. Like damn he’s so much better than me. It would have been a goddamn tragedy if he’d been shot.”

Keith feels his entire body ice over and his face quickly turns expressionless. “What?” he says flatly.

“I… I just thought that he’s who we’ve been trying to rescue this entire time and if he survived then at least you’d have a team mate who isn’t as—“

“I thought that I made myself clear when I told you what you are to this team,” Keith snarls and Lance flinches as he falls quiet. Keith almost regrets his tone when he sees Lance avoid his eyes but he is nipping this in the bud right _now_. “I thought that I told you that the Black Lion should have chosen _you_ because you’re so much more of a leader than I am. You mean _so much_ to everyone in this castle.” Then gentler, more pained, in nearly a whisper, he adds, “To _me_.”

Lance stands in front of him looking like he’s been slapped in the face then he lets out a soft, “I’m sorry.”

“Do you know why I wasn’t there to greet you?” Keith asks him and he’s too far gone now to come back. Everything is spilling from him that he wouldn’t share with anyone before. Every word that he ever held back because he needs this boy to _get it_. He needs him to understand that Keith has been drowning in him from day one and goddammit he _likes_ it that way. “Because I didn’t want to look at the rip in your bodysuit and remember how much of your blood was pouring out of that wound.” There is a lump in his throat and tears pressing at the back of his eyes but he powers on. “I checked your pulse as soon as I could and my heart almost stopped because I didn’t think yours was beating. I rushed you back here and… and you were _dead,_ Lance. You _died._ And I couldn’t… I couldn’t do anything.”

He looks at Lance and squeezes his arms even tighter. Another soft, broken, “I’m sorry,” falls from Lance’s mouth before Keith can collect himself enough to keep going.

“You ignorant asshole,” Keith says and he doesn’t know if he’s laughing or crying. “You moron. I left you in the pod because I couldn’t stand the sight of you being dead, even if you weren’t really. And I went back to my room and I cried myself to sleep just so that I _could_ sleep.” He’s not even ashamed to admit any of this. He’s not ashamed to admit that he cried a hell of a lot the last 24 hours.

“I’m so sorry,” Lance whispers, and his entire face shows it. “God I didn’t—I didn’t know.”

“I _don’t hate you,_ Lance,” Keith says. “Not a single bit.”

“I know. I think. I’m sorry.”

Keith pulls away from him and rubs his face with both hands. “God. You’re such an asshole. You’re a fucking idiot. Why am I so in love with you?” He stops, then, and his brain catches up with his mouth and he freezes. Lance stares at him and Keith looks back, eyes wide.

“You… You’re in love with me?” Lance asks and his voice isn’t mocking like Keith always thought it would be. It’s gentle and almost awed.

And maybe that’s why he says, “Yes.”

“Since when?”

Keith draws in a deep breath then lets it out again. “Forever?”

Lance stands there and breathes for a moment, in and out and staring at him with that same awed look on his face. Then he whispers, “Really?”

“Yeah,” Keith breathes out. “You don’t… have to feel the same. It’s okay. I was just… I was really fucking worried about you abruptly leaving my life after doing all of… this.”

Lance takes a step toward him, reaching out and Keith says quickly, “Lance, it’s okay. Just forget abou—“

“Keith,” Lance cuts in, his fingers brushing Keith’s cheek, “I’m going to kiss you now, okay?”

Keith looks at him and watches him move in, giving him plenty of time to bail out. But in the end he mumbles, “Okay,” right as Lance’s mouth presses to his. Lance’s fingers curl in his hair and Keith’s hand reaches for Lance’s neck. They pull away only to press back together more times than Keith can count but Keith would kiss Lance forever if he was allowed to. And when they finally do pull apart, breathing hard and lips red and swollen, Keith presses their foreheads together and just holds Lance there. Lance’s thumb brushes over his cheek and Keith turns his face a little into the touch.

“God. I’m so glad you’re okay,” Keith whispers, lifting his free hand to grip the wrist near his face.

“Yeah,” Lance mumbles back, “This would kinda not have happened if I had died and that would be a real bummer because I’ve been looking for an excuse to kiss you for… ever.”

Keith pulls back just enough to stare Lance in the eye and says, “I’m in love with you.”

Lance smiles and pulls him back in for another kiss, humming, “Yeah, I am a little too.”

When they part again Keith looks at him again and says, “So no more jumping in front of bullets and thinking lowly of yourself okay?”

“You got it, babe,” Lance whispers and leans in yet again only to be interrupted by his stomach growling.

Keith glances down at it then back up at Lance. Then he laughs and murmurs, “Why don’t we go eat dinner? I think Hunk was working on a feast right before you woke up. It’s probably ready by now.”

“Yeah, okay,” Lance says and presses one last kiss to Keith’s lips. He lets his hands drop to his sides, though one of his hands strays into Keith’s and locks their fingers together. Keith squeezes his fingers and Lance smiles at him.

Keith walks hand in hand with Lance back to the dining hall where two Shiros await them and an entire rebel force needs to be handled but Lance is okay. Lance is okay and he’s beside him and really… That’s all Keith has ever needed.

Just his right hand man to fill in the gaps.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to scream about Voltron with me on tumblr: emfreddie.tumblr.com. My blog isn't super active because reblogging shit on mobile is obnoxious af but I promise I answer messages. And I'm very receptive to Voltron shrieking. It's my second language actually.


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